Lucky & Maximizing Sliver Linings!

Wow! The holidays (and January) really flew by...and while they were different than some years, we did maximize the silver lining to what I think was a nice silver glow. What I mean is that while we missed all of the family and friends we normally would see, we focused on spending as much time with our family that we do see. 

Linked below is a quick slideshow capturing some of the that was our holiday season...

While we couldn't vacation like we typically do, we used the days to play with our new toys, find a deserted beach, or hike in the rainy redwoods. 

Thanksgiving was much smaller than usual, though not sure any less food was made :)

Christmas shopping was definitely different and we tested the amount of things that would be put into an Amazon cart (we never found a limit), but most of the stuff turned out to be perfect even if we couldn't fondle it in a store.  

Christmas Day seemed just as magical (and busy) as usual -- though with a bit more thankfulness that we'd all lived through 2020 pretty successfully. 

The kids definitely used the situation to convince us that it was a special year and they needed special privileges like staying up to midnight on New Years Eve ("I want to see 2020 go bye-bye," as E puts it)..and you know what, with the combo of sugar, excitement, and card games the kids made it without a single whine...even the next day they were stellar. 

 

The other big news, that I teased at the end of the last post, is that we did welcome a new puppy into the pack: Lucky. He's so much fun and really a good lil' guy....though don't tell him he's little, he has no idea. And pretty easy as well, he mostly just goes with the flow of what the big dogs do. He eats when they eat, he goes outside when they do (including potty breaks), sleeps, plays, goes in the RV, car, whatever. We've had him less than 2 months and he just clicks so well, I feel it's been years. 

I did want to share a little about picking him out: We had 7 puppies to choose from, 30 minutes, and 4 adults + 2 kids to come to an aggregable choice. What could go wrong? I talked with the breeder and she ordered the choices for us. To be honest, Lucky was mid-list and I wasn't even really considering him. The moment the we stepped out of the car, the breeder started pulling the puppies out. She stopped and said, "hmmm, I think this one just picked you." We asked why, and she said something about how he perked up first and somehow she sensed a match. I might've nodded out of curtesy and promptly began looking at our top three. And for various reasons, those didn't feel right to everyone and Lucky kept coming back to us and us to him. (I barely had time for photos or video, and looking at the few I did take actually show Lucky...by complete coincidence). At the end, E was the last one who wasn't convinced because Lucky kept nipping at his face. "Come here," I took E and Lucky well off to the side. "Maybe it's the mask." E pulled down the mask and sure enough, the puppy nibbles turned to puppy kisses and E's face melted into a grin. And like that, the choice was clear. His name is Lucky, but I really feel we got all the luck in the deal. 

Like the rest of the country, we're starting to hold our breath and sigh with relief with the coming vaccine. Both sets of parents are in process -- some 1st doses received, appointments finally scheduled after hours of being on the phone or online appointments selling out faster than you could check out. 

Hoping the next post we can report that those at the highest risk in our bubble have gone down to the lowest. Until then, take care y'all.